In the Heat of the Night Read online

  George sat quietly, his silence encouraging her.

  When she was young, I encouraged Serena to spend time with Alex, even when she didn’t want to. I was wrong.

  George shifted in his seat, seeking a more comfortable position for his large form. She is much younger than he is.

  Alesandra nodded. Yes. That was one of my mistakes. Werewolf teenagers are not all the different from regular humans. For all her intelligence, Serena was too immature to appreciate what Alex wanted from her. At that time, all she saw was the envy of her friends because the pack Alpha was courting her. Maybe if she hadn’t gone to his bed…

  George shook his head. Alex does not impress me as the type of man to let anyone or anything keep him from what he wants. He wants Serena.

  She sighed. I know, and I fear his reaction if she refuses to return with us.

  Alesandra shifted her gaze to Alex. He was handsome—his dark hair, dark eyes, and high cheekbones all bespoke his Cheyenne ancestry. Even the bump on the bridge of his nose where he’d broken it was appealing. And he was proving to be an excellent Alpha—even better than her own Michael had been. Alex took his responsibilities to the pack seriously, spending most of his time dealing with pack business. What little free time he had, he’d spent with Serena and her.

  Alesandra’s eyes widened. Alex had spent most of his free time courting Serena. That was it. Why hadn’t she realized? Of course Alex was obsessed with Serena becoming his mate. If she refused, he had to go through the entire courting ritual all over again. More than a few unmated women had found their ways to his bed before Serena came of age but none since. Those women who would have been capable of assuming Alpha female responsibilities knew Alex wasn’t interested in more than sex. They’d all chosen other mates since then. The only females available for mating were all younger. Alex didn’t really know much about any of them.

  If Serena wouldn’t mate Alex, he’d have to take the time to find another woman who was not only compatible, one he could love, but who would also be strong enough to be Alpha female. With all his responsibilities to the pack, when would he find the time?

  He’s afraid , Alesandra thought to herself. He’s devoted the last twelve years of his life to the pack. If Serena says no, he’ll have to court another woman, and he doesn’t know how to begin. The available women in our pack are all young, and he doesn’t have time to seek out available mates from other packs. He’s not afraid for himself. He’s afraid the pack will suffer if he gives it one iota less of his time.

  Chapter 9

  Kearnan cupped his mug in his hands and leaned back in his chair. He stretched his legs out under the table, spreading them to accommodate his growing erection, and sipped his coffee. More blood rushed to his cock as Serena’s pink tongue slid up one side of each finger and down the other as she delicately licked beef juice from them. Kearnan swallowed—without coffee—when Serena sucked a finger into her mouth. Not so long ago, she’d been wrapping that tongue around his cock and sucking it into her wet mouth.

  Shifting, Kearnan clenched his mug more tightly. No other woman had ever made him come so close to losing the control he fought to maintain. Earlier that morning, when Serena had bitten the base of his cock, the wolf in his soul had howled for release. The urge to dominate Serena, to demand her submission had almost overpowered him. Almost. He’d won the fight with his primitive side—barely. But he had controlled his wild side, and now he knew he would continue to do so. He had not allowed the wolf in his soul total control. Serena would be safe with him.

  “Mmmmmmm. That was good.” Serena stretched her arms over her head, arching her chest towards him.

  Kearnan’s attention slid to her breasts.

  Her nipples poked eyes in the thin tee shirt she wore.

  His now fully erect cock jerked.

  “How can you drink that stuff?”

  Kearnan’s gaze returned to her face.

  Fingers now laced behind her head, Serena smiled then wrinkled her nose.

  His attention darted back to her chest as he sipped more coffee. “An acquired taste, but I like it.”

  Pulling her hands from behind her head, Serena rubbed her collarbone. Then, ever so slowly, she trailed her index finger down over the swell of her breast and flicked her extended nipple. Underneath the soft cotton of her shirt, her nipples became more pronounced.

  Kearnan’s gaze was glued to her chest.

  She shifted in her chair.

  Kearnan flared his nostrils and inhaled. “You spread your legs. I can smell your sex.”

  Her eyelids drooped, and Serena smiled a lazy smile. “I’m not wearing any underwear.”

  Coffee splattered on the table and floor as Kearnan dropped his mug. Confident in his ability to control himself, he erupted out of his chair and across the table.

  Shoving dirty dishes out of his way, he leaned over and pulled Serena into his arms. Plates shattered and cutlery clanged to the floor as he dragged her back across the table into his arms.

  She chuckled deep in her throat and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  The musty aroma of her heat surrounded Kearnan.

  Pulling her into his arms, his lips latched onto a cotton-covered nipple.

  Serena arched into his mouth. “The dishes,” she gasped. “There are bones on the floor.”

  “The hell with them,” he mumbled against her breast.

  Serena grabbed two handfuls of hair and jerked his head up. “Make love to me. Here. Now.”

  Kearnan jerked his head free. “No. Not this time. I want you in my room, my bed, my den.”

  “Yes.” She lapped his neck.

  Rising with Serena in his arms, Kearnan kicked his chair out of the way. It flew across the kitchen and bounced off the opposite wall, two legs shattering. He reached the door with one leap and shoved it open with his hip.

  He was half way to the stairway when front door slammed open.

  Serena staggered, grabbing onto the back of a wing chair for balance when Kearnan dropped her to her feet and turned to face the intruders. Raking her hair out of her face, she steadied herself then stepped to his side.

  Four men faced them.

  They parted to allow the old woman access to the house.

  Serena stared. “Grandmother?”

  Alex Whitehorse didn’t give the older woman a chance to answer. “Get your stuff, Serena. You’re coming home.”

  Serena fisted her hands on her hips. “Like hell. I’m staying here. If I wanted to come home, I’d have done so months ago.”

  Jaw set, Alex stepped forward. “Damn it. You’ve had long enough to find yourself or get to know yourself or whatever the hell else you had to do. It’s time for you to accept your responsibilities to the pack.”

  “Serena,” Kearnan interjected in a calm voice, “introduce me to your—friends.”

  Serena glared at their uninvited guests. No way was she going to let her old pack dictate her life. “Dr. Kearnan Gray, my grandmother, Alesandra Morning. To her left is Alex Whitehorse.” Kearnan’s muscles tensed under her hand. “The man to his left Josh Black. The man on the far right of my grandmother is Dave Forrest. I don’t know the other man.”

  The last man crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “George TwoBears. I am a friend of your grandmother’s.”

  A quick slash of Alex’s hand halted whatever else George wanted to say. “Enough. Come with us now, Serena.”

  She yanked her hand from Kearnan’s arm and straightened to her full height. “I said no. I am not leaving. I have my work with the wolves, and—Kearnan loves me.”

  Her grandmother started.

  Fists clenched at his sides, Alex stepped forward. “You’d choose him over me?”

  Kearnan slipped an arm around Serena’s waist and pulled her back against his chest. “You heard her. She stays with me. Leave. Now.”

  Alex stepped forward only to stop suddenly. He lifted his head, and his nostrils flared. Shock replaced his anger. “You’re in
heat.”

  Serena lifted her chin and glared at him.

  Alex’s voice grew louder. “I can smell you on him. You’re in heat, and you let a man mount you!”

  “I choose Kearnan,” Serena snarled back.

  “Stop. Now,” Alesandra commanded, rapping her cane against the floor. When she had their attention, she walked forward slowly, pushing Alex to the side and halting a few feet before Serena. “This man is not for you, Serena. You know the—difficulties—that would be involved.”

  Serena hugged the arm Kearnan now held loosely around her waist. “No, Grandmother. Kearnan is a werewolf, too.”

  Frowning, Alesandra shook her head. “No. I would know. He doesn’t smell of wolf.”

  “His cologne hides his scent. I didn’t know myself until a couple of days ago.”

  Alesandra frowned. Squinting, she stepped forward, staring intently into Kearnan’s face. “Gray,” she muttered in a low voice. “Kearnan Gray.” Then her eyes widened. “Artemis Gray. You’re a son of Artemis Gray.”

  Behind her, Serena felt Kearnan stiffen, but she was far more interested in Alex’s reaction. A look of horror appeared on his face.

  Josh and Dave reacted the same way.

  Even her grandmother looked troubled.

  George TwoBears was the only one who didn’t seem upset.

  “Serena, get away from him, now,” Alex demanded.

  Kearnan tightened his arm. “No. She’s mine. I’ve claimed her.”

  Alex shook his head. “Halfblood bastard! You have no right to her or any other female werewolf. Go back to your own kind.”

  Serena pushed against Kearnan’s arm. “What are you talking about, Alex? Kearnan is a werewolf. I’ve seen him change. Grandmother, what’s going on?”

  Alex crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Kearnan. “Serena doesn’t know, does she? You tricked her. She has the right to repudiate you.” He turned his attention back to Serena. “Gray didn’t tell you he’s an abomination, did he? He should be out in a cage with the other wolves.”

  Kearnan tensed as Serena pushed against his arm again.

  “His old man went feral,” Alex in a triumphant tone. “He mated a wolf.”

  Serena frowned. Surely Alex didn’t think that would upset her. “What’s wrong with that?” she snapped. “Lots of werewolves choose a life in the forest. We live longer than regular wolves. Werewolves have returned from the wild when their mates died.”

  Alex’s tone was scathing. “But, if they come back, they come back alone. ”

  Alesandra’s tired voice interjected. “Serena, Kearnan’s mother was a wolf,” she said as she leaned heavily on her cane, “a true wolf, not a werewolf.”

  Kearnan dropped his arm.

  Trembling, Serena turned to face him. “Is this true?”

  His eyes begged her to understand. “Yes.”

  “But…”

  “My mother died when I was eight months old,” he continued. “Father was devastated. He wouldn’t eat, barely drank or slept. We had to do something.”

  “We?”

  “My siblings and I. We begged him to teach us the change , to teach us to be human. It took years for all of us to master first the change itself and then holding this human shape. But, it kept Father alive.”

  “Abomination,” Alex hissed from behind her. “Get away from him. He’s more animal than human. Who knows what he’ll do. He’s dangerous, Serena.”

  Serena stared into Kearnan’s eyes, searching for—what? Damn it, Kearnan Gray. I finally find a man to love —she felt herself blanch at that mental admission— and you turn out to be something that’s only talked about in whispers, a half animal half human most werewolves don’t even want to admit exists.

  Serena looked back over her shoulder at Alex. Josh and Dave stood on either side of him, whispering in his ears. Alex looked confident, sure that she’d be appalled, that she’d be as prejudiced as so many other werewolves were. Werewolves who scoffed at humans for their prejudices against other humans of different ethnic backgrounds. And werewolves considered themselves superior! Bullshit.

  Besides, how could anyone belittle a wolf! They were the elder brothers of werewolves. When the first werewolf had clawed its terrified way through the forest, it had been the wolves who’d saved its sanity by teaching it how to live with both its wolf and human halves. Everybody knew that. Werewolves honored wolves. Why were they so afraid of halfblood wolves who managed to master the change?

  She looked back into Kearnan’s face and thought back over the last three years. He was no more a monster than she or any other werewolf was.

  “But you can be so gentle,” she whispered in a low voice only Kearnan—and her grandmother—could hear. “For three years, I’ve watched you with the wolves, nursing them through illness and injuries. I’ve watched you patiently answer the silliest questions the children from the local schools asked about wolves. You are no abomination.”

  The hope that blazed in Kearnan’s eyes swelled her heart.

  “I love you,” she whispered. Turning, she faced the others. “I’m staying here. Kearnan is no more an abomination than I am. How can you be so narrow minded? For years, our Cheyenne people were discriminated against unfairly because they were different. Now you want to do the same thing? How can you be such a hypocrite?”

  Kearnan stepped forward and draped his arm around Serena’s shoulders. “You heard her. She wants to stay.”

  Alex howled and tore at his shirt. “No, she’s coming with me. She’s mine! I challenge you.”

  Kearnan shook his head. “I don’t want to fight. Serena has made her choice. Let her be.”

  “Never!” Alex snarled. “I mated her before you. She’s mine.” His body began to blur as a dark mist formed.

  Serena grabbed Kearnan’s arm. “No. You don’t have to fight if you don’t want to.”

  Cupping her face in his hands, he said, “Believe me, Serena, I didn’t want to do this, but I have to fight now. I’ve been challenged in my own home.”

  Seizing her mouth with his, he kissed her, hard and possessively, declaring his ownership to the other males.

  Alex’s growl echoed throughout the room.

  Removing his clothing took Kearnan only a few seconds.

  Then, his form began to blur. Silvery gray mist eddied and swirled, and a gray-white wolf stood calmly where Kearnan had been.

  “Kearnan, Alex, stop!” Serena yelled as the two snarling wolves faced each other.

  Alesandra laid her hand on Serena’ arm. “It’s too late, child.”

  Whirling, Serena clenched Alesandra’s hands. “You have to stop them, Grandmother. Kearnan’s no fighter. Alex will kill him if he can.”

  “After you went to Alex’s bed, he considered you his. In his mind, you are mated.”

  “Damn it, you were the one who practically pushed me into it.”

  Alesandra bowed her head. “The fault is mostly mine. I know. I led Alex to believe that you would stay as his mate. I was wrong. I will regret my actions for the rest of my life.”

  “Apology accepted,” Serena snapped. “Now stop the fight.”

  Alesandra shook her head. “It is the way of our kind to fight for a mate. You know this. Alex believes you are his.”

  “But I am not Alex’s mate! Yes, we had sex—once. But he did not mount me. He wasn’t even my first lover, and he knows it. I will never be his mate, never!” Serena dropped her grandmother’s hands and turned back to the fight. “Stupid men. Our females have always had the right to say no. We’ve always been free to bed whomever we want before we choose a mate. Damn it, I did not choose you, Alex.”

  “Alex will not acknowledge your refusal. His pride will not allow it. And, Kearnan will have to win you in battle,” Alesandra said. “Even if he didn’t want you for himself, Alex would still challenge Kearnan for you on principle. Many members of our pack will not accept his parentage. Your grandfather was pack Alpha. Many will believe Kearnan does not dese
rve you even if he does defeat Alex. If Kearnan does win, there will be those who will want you cast out of the pack for mating a halfblood.”

  Serena barred her teeth at her grandmother’s reply. The hell with them. She didn’t care what they thought. She had chosen Kearnan. That’s all there was to it.

  Alex and Kearnan ignored everyone else in the room. Snarls, howls, and growls echoed around the room as the two huge wolves lunged forward and crashed into each other. Bigger and bulkier, Alex chose to stand his ground. More slender and quicker, Kearnan used speed against the slower Alex. Furniture toppled and splintered when they crashed together, their teeth snapping. Tufts of fur fluttered to the floor to be followed by splatters of blood as they tore at each other’s flesh. They seemed evenly matched.

  Serena hugged herself with her right arm while she chewed on the knuckle of her left hand. Alex has so much more experience fighting. He’d been challenged a few times since assuming Alpha position, and he’d had to join in fights himself to stop others from trying to kill each other. Kearnan didn’t have that kind of experience. He’d chosen to live his life as a man away from a pack.

  Serena bit down until she drew blood when Alex slashed a deep cut in Kearnan’s shoulder.

  Triumphant glittered in Alex’s eyes. You will die now, abomination .

  Pain knifing though his shoulder, Kearnan snarled. He’d been holding back, afraid of what could happen if he unleashed his animal half. The human in him didn’t want to hurt Alex, but this was his home. Serena was his mate.

  Kearnan left the wolf in his soul free.

  The blood of his wolf mother surged through his veins overpowering his humanity. Kearnan shook his head trying to clear his mind, but wolf instincts overpowered his human self. The black Alpha challenges me for my mate. My mate! No one will take her away from me. This is my territory. I am Alpha here, and she is mine!

  Fuck you , Kearnan howled into Alex’s mind and lunged for his throat.

  The dark wolf shifted to meet his opponent head on, but, at the last moment, Kearnan slid to the left and slashed his opponent’s ribs. Before Alex could react, Kearnan whirled and lunged low. Alex’s fangs missed him completely as Kearnan’s jaws locked on his enemy’s left foreleg. The crack of the breaking bone reverberated throughout the room.